The CIA and the Culture of Failure is Diamond's analysis of the CIA's role in history from US-Soviet relations at the end of the Cold War to the failures and successes that occurred during the hostile and confusing political environment in the years following 9/11.

Diamond brings his expertise to the current political situation in his Opinion article in USA Today entitled, "The Right Guy for the CIA?" The article addresses President Obama's recent decision to appoint Leon Panetta as the head of the CIA, and that decision's implications for the agency's image and intelligence provisions to the President.

“The concern surrounding President-elect Barack Obama's choice of Leon Panetta to head the agency is that the new administration is placing greater weight on the CIA's image and reputation than on the intelligence the president needs to lead effectively. Addressing that concern will be Panetta's first order of business, both in his confirmation hearing and after taking over at CIA.”

In the article Diamond uses some of the historical insights from his book to place the current CIA situation in context. He also addresses how the new President and newly appointed CIA head might tackle the challenge of overcoming past failures, specifically regarding torture, and the war on terrorism.

"The formidable challenge facing Obama and Panetta will be to see whether they can halt the controversial intelligence policies they oppose while improving the quality of intelligence that goes into the president's morning briefing."

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